When the media attack started Kili and Tauriel were terrified at first. Later they realized they didn't have to confront their families anymore. Their situation became official, and although paparazzi were annoying, hiring body guards solved the problem. Soon they realized the media coverage apart from revealing their relationship to their families did more good than harm, it was a free advertising campaign, and "New Age" was booming after the free publicity. The media soon calmed down, after all there was no sensation in two adults getting married, and their disinheritance and refusal to comment on their family situation became boring. Surprisingly both families did not contact them or comment on the situation as well. Kili had predicted that sooner or later their families would contact them, and he was right although it was much later then they expected. The first signal was a phone call from Fili, who said some strange things about Thorin's reaction and told them to be on guard.
Nearly a month later, when Tauriel was already eight months pregnant, Thorin called Kili, and appointed a meeting in Miami. They met at the office, and Tauriel did not join them. Kili promised to protect her and to handle their families and that was exactly what he had planned to do. The meeting was cold to say the least. Thorin made a proposition to Kili to come back into the family business, on condition he and Tauriel sign a marital agreement. Kili just looked coldly at his uncle and said he is not interested nor in any marital agreement, neither in coming back into the family business. Thorin told him, that he was an ungrateful brat, but Kili took it all with a stone cold face, and told him that their meeting was over. Thorin looked at his nephew not recognising the strong person sitting in front of him. This was not Kili the gently shy kid he taught everything in life. This was Kili Thorin version, hard, strong and getting exactly what he wanted. It hit him how similar they had become. She made him strong, their marriage made him strong, Thorin coldly analysed and came only to one conclusion, that Kili must really love the girl to go so far in protecting her. Thorin left the office with an ache in his heart, the rift between him and the young couple was very deep, and he didn't have much hope it would ever be gone.
Thranduil did not contact them at all. It was Aurelia who contacted Legolas and demanded he come home, not explaining really why she called him. When Legolas arrived at the Mirkwood Estate he barely recognized his father. His father was always cold, not showing any emotions, but now he locked himself in his study and according to his mother he never left it anymore. The business was run by the managers, and Thranduil just locked out on the world. When Legolas finally forced his father to open the door, he saw a man in ruin. He was much thinner than before, his hair unusually messy, and face unnaturally pale. He was going from rage, to sadness, to crying and back to rage again. When he saw Legolas he approached him and later he acted as if he didn't see him anymore.
"Mother, when did this start?" Legolas quietly asked Aurelia.
"Ever since he read the newspaper article. He just broke down." Aurelia slowly explained.
"Have you called in his doctor?" Legolas asked.
"Yes, I had several doctor's come in, but I was scared to do anything more. One doctor suggested taking him to a psychiatric clinic, but I was scared it would leak out to the news." She told him. "We don't need any more publicity, the companies are barely holding on from what the managers told me."
"Have you tried talking to him?" Legolas gently asked her.
"He doesn't reply to me." She had tears in her eyes.
"I'll try." He finally told her and locked himself in the study with his unwell father.
"You're going to be a grandfather soon." Legolas told him gently and Thranduil immediately looked at him.
"You got a girl pregnant?" He asked in a tense voice.
"No, Tauriel is going to give birth soon. Don't you remember?" Legolas gently spoke.
"I have no daughter." Thranduil replied.
"But you do." Legolas told him. "You have a son and daughter who both love you father."
"If she would have loved me and respected me she would never have run off and get pregnant and marry that bastard!" Thranduil went into rage.
"You're her father, and he's her husband. She can love both of you at the same time." Legolas tried to explain.
"She betrayed the family!" Thranduil told him bluntly.
"We betrayed her first. You betrayed her first!" Legolas shouted at his father. "She told me all about her childhood, all about those boarding school you sent her to. All about the rejection she experienced from our family. She did not betray us, because she was never treated as one of us!"
"You always hated her." Thranduil noticed.
"But I don't hate her anymore. She's my sister, and we've managed to move on the past and now we have good contact." Legolas explained seeing that his father finally began calming down.
"Do you know where she is?" Thranduil asked looking sane.
"I live with her, so yes I know exactly where she is." Legolas told him.
"Do you think we'll be able to move on as a family?" Thranduil asked looking really sad.
"I'm not sure father, but she really loves us, and she's really happy." Legolas explained.
"I'm going to appoint a meeting with her, and after that you're going to a meeting with my therapist." Legolas told his father.
"Therapist?" Thranduil asked. "If the media find out we're ruined."
"The media will not find out, they've never found out about my last rehab session, and that clinic respects people's privacy." Legolas explained to his father. "From what mother tells me the business needs you back father, so we have to put you back on your feet."
"Do you think she'll ever come back to the business?" Thranduil asked slowly.
"It all depends if you ask nicely enough." Legolas told him. "Don't treat this as losing a daughter; you just gained a son who knows everything about business."
"That's exactly what I'm scared of. This is one more attack from the Durin family on our fortune." Thranduil burst in anger again.
"Kili is really not interest in your money. He's got enough of his own and his company is thriving. She's your daughter and you can always arrange for her husband never to receive anything from your money." Legolas pointed out. "You just need a good lawyer to arrange it."
"Fine I'll go and meet her." Thranduil finally replied. "And arrange that therapist. Call my lawyer as well."
. . . . .
Tauriel made some friends in Miami, and one of her favourites was a lawyer called William Baggins, who was their closest neighbour. The short man everyone called Bilbo, was delighted to hear about her pregnancy and ever since had been bringing her tones of homemade food and sweets. After some time she asked him about his legal practiced and was surprised to hear he was specialist in civil agreements and marital law. So when Legolas told her about their father's visit, she asked Bilbo to accompany her in that meeting. She wasn't feeling well being almost nine months pregnant and she felt like bursting any moment. Her child, whose sex was yet unknown on their request, was a naughty little thing moving around constantly. When she saw her father, he heart ached. He looked horrible, thinner and paler than ever. At first she wanted to hug him, but stopped and hugged her huge bally instead.
"Tauriel, father wanted to tell you some things." Legolas pushed their father to start talking.
"I'm sorry Tauriel." Thranduil gently whispered.
"I'm sorry too daddy." She told him gently. "I'm sorry I chose my child and husband over family and company."
"What would it take for you to come back to us?" Thranduil asked hesitantly, and both lawyers looked attentively at him.
"I'm not sure if I ever want to come back to New York." She told him after a moment of silence.
"I'm not asking you to come back to New York. I'm asking you to come back into the family and business." Thranduil spoke gently.
"On what conditions?" She asked him firmly.
"I was hoping you could sign a marital agreement with your husband." Thranduil spoke after a moment of hesitation.
"I'm never going to sign such an agreement. We are one, and everything we have will always equally belong to us." She replied firmly.
"That's why he wanted to be with you, for the money!" Thranduil raised his voice.
"No, I didn't." Kili replied entering the room, accompanied by Gimli his best friend and lawyer.
"Can you say that again?" Thranduil spoke in a low voice, eyeing his son in law for the first time.
"I married Tauriel to be with her till the end of my days. Not to gain your money. I have rejected an equal amount of money just for the sake of being with her." He slowly approached Tauriel and securely wrapped his arm around her; she immediately calmed down feeling his touch.
"If you say you're not interested in her money, signing a marital agreement should not be a problem." Thranduil's lawyer noticed.
"I've told the same to my uncle and now I'm telling you. I'm never going to sign any marital agreement. All I have belongs to her." Kili replied looking deep into Tauriel's eyes.
"Since both spouses do not want to sign a marital agreement, I believe there is only one solution." Bilbo slowly stood up. "We need to organise a meeting consisting of all parties and together come to a solution and discuss all the problematic spheres. I personally we mediate such a meeting. Does that sound reasonable?" The short lawyer told everyone in the room.
"That sounds reasonable." Thranduil admitted.
"Oh no..." Suddenly they heard a gasp from Tauriel.
"Tauriel what's wrong?" Her father went even paler seeing pain on his daughter's face.
"I think my waters just broke..." She looked as if she would faint any moment.